en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/1889853 Comments by muskrateer http://www.katu.com/news/local/Parasite-detected-again-Is-Portlands-water-waiver-in-jeopardy-137148013.html#IDComment262007017 Elks. Too funny. It's elk; plural and singular. What would be the point of searching the stream for wildlife? 1. If the parasite always and only comes from animal fecal material, then you don't need to spot a wild critter to confirm its source, and 2. Wildlife is a GOOD sign of the health of the watershed from an ecological standpoint. Just figure out how to best treat the water to make it safe for people! Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:27:06 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/Parasite-detected-again-Is-Portlands-water-waiver-in-jeopardy-137148013.html#IDComment262007017 http://www.katu.com/news/local/Yellow-Lab-puppy-recovering-after-Pit-Bull-attack-137129428.html#IDComment261959547 It should be noted that dogs who are aggressive toward other dogs are not necessarily aggressive toward people. Dog aggression and human aggression are two very different issues. A pitbull that is properly socialized should NEVER be human aggressive. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:03:37 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/Yellow-Lab-puppy-recovering-after-Pit-Bull-attack-137129428.html#IDComment261959547 http://www.katu.com/news/local/Ive-never-had-anybody-do-anything-like-this-for-me-before-136264913.html#IDComment251718926 Thumbs up because even though this makes for a great story, there is no reason to be bringing more puppies onto this earth when millions of healthy dogs (and puppies) are put to sleep annually simply because there are not enough homes. People realize they can make some money from breeding their animals and many do. The responsible ones know about breed genetics and have spay/neuter contracts on all pups sold as pets. Sat, 31 Dec 2011 21:03:37 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/Ive-never-had-anybody-do-anything-like-this-for-me-before-136264913.html#IDComment251718926 http://www.katu.com/news/local/Too-cute-Calif-dogs-now-in-Ore-need-new-homes-fast-135759678.html#IDComment239765910 It's as simple as this: SPAY AND NEUTER. ADOPT, DON'T SHOP. People need to step up to the plate and be responsible. There is simply no acceptable justification for producing more puppies when so many die in shelters. Supply exceeds demand. Sat, 17 Dec 2011 05:36:09 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/Too-cute-Calif-dogs-now-in-Ore-need-new-homes-fast-135759678.html#IDComment239765910 http://www.katu.com/news/local/135769143.html#IDComment239762759 I agree with you that dogs shouldn't be running loose. But if you want to save yourself from possibly being bitten, keep in mind that dogs are predatory animals, and herding breeds like the blue heeler can become quite excitable at the fast movement of someone on a bike. Perhaps the dog was trying to herd you. Sat, 17 Dec 2011 05:30:44 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/135769143.html#IDComment239762759 http://www.katu.com/news/local/Ashland-police-chief-addresses-fears-after-brutal-slaying-134788673.html#IDComment230683976 I agree. In this scenario it seems highly unlikely that the victim would have had time to react and protect himself. How about not turning a tragedy like this into a platform for one's own beliefs about gun rights when it really has nothing to do with what occurred? Thu, 1 Dec 2011 01:57:06 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/Ashland-police-chief-addresses-fears-after-brutal-slaying-134788673.html#IDComment230683976 http://clackamas.katu.com/news/pets/445712-dog-shelter-maxed-out-even-our-isolation-areas-are-full#IDComment222121235 Pet overpopulation is a tragic problem; it's easily prevented by spaying and neutering your pets. "Don't breed or buy while others die." Advantages of adopting a shelter pet: They are spayed or neutered prior to being adopted out They are microchipped They are fully vaccinated When you choose to adopt, you are saving a life. When you buy from a breeder, you are perpetuating the problem of overpopulation. There are shelters and breed rescues overflowing with adoptable pets. You can find just about any breed and age of animal on petfinder.com Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:43:15 +0000 http://clackamas.katu.com/news/pets/445712-dog-shelter-maxed-out-even-our-isolation-areas-are-full#IDComment222121235 http://www.katu.com/news/local/119714539.html#IDComment142346527 I think it's impossible to say with certainty that just because it got there it could get out. It certainly doesn't seem that the bear wanted to be there. It looks like it got stuck. Would a bear eventually decide to risk its life scrambling down or would it become exhausted by direct sunlight, thirst, hunger and suffer slowly? Just watching animals deal with highways leads me to believe that animals can't always get themselves out of where they've gotten themselves stuck. Yesterday I saw a pronghorn buck panic on a 75mph highway in Montana wedged between two fenced cattle allottments. They are capable of shimmying under a fence but in a stressful situation they can flee in the wrong direction or end up dying entangled in a fence. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 00:45:35 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/119714539.html#IDComment142346527 http://www.katu.com/news/local/119714539.html#IDComment142343824 Followed him in the water and tranquilized him (so he'd drown)? Sea lions have the marine mammal protection act which is an obstacle to culling, while black bears are managed as a game species. Big difference. Root of problem with endangered fish runs = humans and dams and loss of suitable riverine habitat. Sea lions = proximate and visible cause of salmonid mortality + easiest scapegoat. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 00:36:21 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/119714539.html#IDComment142343824 http://www.katu.com/news/local/119714539.html#IDComment142342613 Right, and then everyone will complain (in this down economy) about all the money spent to save one bear. I admit it is a sad situation. Who knows if the bear could have managed to find a way down. It's always a judgement call in these cases and I hope ODFW and the police carefully considered their action. In reality, wild animals face fragmentation and unnatural situations every day. I wonder how many bears are killed on Oregon roads every year. The population of bears in the state is considerate healthy. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 00:32:16 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/119714539.html#IDComment142342613 http://www.katu.com/news/local/119714539.html#IDComment142341345 Animals in general do not "know" if a person is intending to hurt or help. As an example, if you try to manually break up a dog fight you are likely to get bitten. When animals are under duress they are in fight or flight mode and even a helpful hand can be seen as a threat. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 00:27:53 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/119714539.html#IDComment142341345 http://www.katu.com/outdoors/featured/119004489.html#IDComment139477767 I am a shed antler hunter but on a small scale and I don't sell the antlers. I just think they're beautiful and finding them is fun, it's also great exercise. I wouldn't want to stress the animals though. Usually I find them a month or more after they're shed and the elk or deer are no longer in the immediate area. I don't know a whole lot about elk physiology but I would say hunting season would be a lot harder on them than shed hunters. Unless the shed hunters are actively pursuing the animals and waiting for an antler to drop, which doesn't seem likely or productive. I do know that if elk are disturbed repeatedly they can and will move miles just to avoid being pushed around. It will be interesting to see if they find any direct evidence that shed hunters are actually stressing the animals to the point of dying. Sun, 3 Apr 2011 00:50:24 +0000 http://www.katu.com/outdoors/featured/119004489.html#IDComment139477767 http://www.katu.com/news/local/118928879.html#IDComment138716156 I'm almost positive that domestic and feral dogs are responsible for more livestock deaths than wolves. Wed, 30 Mar 2011 23:25:11 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/118928879.html#IDComment138716156 http://www.katu.com/outdoors/featured/118814354.html#IDComment138515927 Some bull elk will refuse to run and in that case the wolves lose interest and seek prey that ignites their drive to chase. I wouldn't say bull elk usually roam alone. During the rut they're with their harem or constantly seeking cows in estrous, after the rut they tend to run around in bachelor groups. I know that wolves do take elk (it is a preferred prey) but there are also many hunters that just aren't used to dealing with natural predator presence and so don't know how the habits and preferred hiding places of the elk have changed. Wed, 30 Mar 2011 02:53:59 +0000 http://www.katu.com/outdoors/featured/118814354.html#IDComment138515927 http://www.katu.com/outdoors/featured/118814354.html#IDComment138514866 Um, there's no such thing as a black panther. Black panther generally refers to melanistic African leopards. Occasionally the term is also applied to melanistic jaguars, and the term "panther" alone is another name for cougar. The panthers in Florida are Florida panthers, and there are cougars and jaguars in central and South America. Cougars used to be all over North America including the eastern states. Some subspecies may have gone extinct, and I believe the Florida panther is considered a separate species altogether. The wacko environmentalists are the ones coming up with the extinction figures? I don't think so..I have read plenty of peer-reviewed journal articles written by folks with doctorate degrees in wildlife ecology and conservation biology that estimate the number of species that are extirpated annually. Keep in mind that species include everything from tiny decomposers to amphibians to ungulates. Not just the charismatic megafauna. I'm glad misinformed anti-any-predator wackos aren't making the decisions for the future of Earth's biodiversity. Wed, 30 Mar 2011 02:46:40 +0000 http://www.katu.com/outdoors/featured/118814354.html#IDComment138514866 http://www.katu.com/outdoors/featured/118814354.html#IDComment138257536 The strongest supporters of wolves I know are field biologists that actually study them and their role in the ecosystem. They are strong supporters because they have a basis for their opinions and are NOT against delisting once management goals are reached. That hasn't happened yet. I have gotten into many discussions on KATU regarding wolves. You can read my thoughts if you want to. Wolves were extirpated because we had the tools to do so quickly and economically. The campaign to eliminate wolves was solely based on our desire to raise livestock without the risk of natural predators taking a few. It was ill-informed, fueled by greed and the belief that the land belongs to people, short-sighted, and extremely brutal (to both wolves and the millions of other animals that died when poison was distributed across the wildlands indiscriminately). "they're really just not needed." You opened up a can of worms with that one. How many species then, in your opinion, aren't needed? What about the ones that haven't even been documented by science? Should we just judge and assume since they aren't a part of our everyday lives? That point of view is far wackier than the one for wolf re-establishment. Oh, and trying to justify their elimination with human attacks...really? How many documented human fatalities can you cite? I know my odds of being attacked by a rare breed of small dog is better.. Tue, 29 Mar 2011 02:34:17 +0000 http://www.katu.com/outdoors/featured/118814354.html#IDComment138257536 http://www.katu.com/news/local/118749714.html#IDComment138253949 I grew up in the Hood River Valley, and went to school in Corvallis. Also have driven the gorge many times for Portland trips. I consider myself to be a confident and skilled driver. I've never had so much as a speeding ticket, let alone a "fender bender," and I have taken defensive driving, 4x4 driving, and ATV rider courses for my job. However, it is still a bit nerve-wracking for me to drive when it's pouring rain and semi trucks pass and spash gallons of water onto my windshield or I maneuver around slower trucks. There is a difference between being a little scared in such situations and not being a good driver. I see tons of vehicles pass me, going at speeds well over the posted limit, in horrible weather conditions. Have they read the basic rule of the road that says always drive according to the conditions outside? I think a lot of people can be over-confident and end up causing a collision when they think their car has greater stopping power than it does/their 4 wheel drive will get them through anything/etc. Sometimes it's good to have a healthy level of respect for the dangers of the road, and that might include some fear. Tue, 29 Mar 2011 02:14:51 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/118749714.html#IDComment138253949 http://www.kval.com/outdoors/fishhunt/117768308.html#IDComment135838447 It's good to hear that these poachers are receiving more than a slap on the wrist! I have witnessed a very unethical "hunt" and located hunter-killed animals (one bear, one elk) that were apparently left to waste and passed on the evidence to OSP. Unfortunately, in the unethical case there was no law being broken and in the other cases not enough evidence existed to do anything. Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:34:58 +0000 http://www.kval.com/outdoors/fishhunt/117768308.html#IDComment135838447 http://www.katu.com/news/entertainment/117557648.html#IDComment133273839 The fact that there is a potential .com just for the surveillance video is pretty ridiculous! Tue, 8 Mar 2011 04:19:16 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/entertainment/117557648.html#IDComment133273839 http://www.katu.com/news/local/117451323.html#IDComment132755229 They don't sell those dogs that are suffering from all those maladies. Those are the breeder dogs. They sell the puppies, usually through the internet, classifieds, or a pet store. Not to say that the puppies don't usually end up suffering from some disease as well, it's just not obvious when they are sold. Sun, 6 Mar 2011 02:27:35 +0000 http://www.katu.com/news/local/117451323.html#IDComment132755229